


don't you know what they say

by orphan_account



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Explicit Language, Gen, Humor, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Not Beta Read, Time Travel, i might continue this at some point..?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26241049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “If you don’t mind, who’s the king at the moment?”“Uther,” says Arthur. “Everyone knows that. Who are you, exactly?”“I’m Merlin.”“Fucking hell,” says Baby Merlin.Or:Merlin accidentally travels back in time.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 160





	don't you know what they say

**Author's Note:**

> first post on ao3 lets gooo
> 
> title from "don't you know" by timh

Time travel, Merlin learns early on, isn’t possible.

He tried, okay — after Morgana was defeated, and Camelot was slowly rebuilding, and Arthur managed to almost die _again_ (idiot) he spent a good few weeks trying to time travel. It doesn’t work. It just doesn’t. Magic has rules, quite a few druids and one particularly haggard, elven man tell him over the years. Apparently, bending space and time is off the table.

Except, at some point, it isn't. Random Sorcerer Number 11 is fighting the knights in the woods, and then she decides that she’s had enough, and then there’s a dagger in Merlin’s side and he’s lying on a cold, hard stone floor.

Arthur lifted the ban on magic a few years ago, it’s really about time these sorcerers take a break and have a cup of tea and stop _stabbing Merlin, he’s literally the court sorcerer please put down the knife._ And yet, here he is, on the ground somewhere only the lord knows, with a very painful hole in his side that feels sort of like it's on fire.

He rolls over, breathing heavily, and looks up into the faces of… Oh, god. Fucking damnit. Holy mother of shit. Christ almighty. Fuck.

“Merlin,” says Arthur, with a bit of a mullet and a distinct lack of stubble, “Why is this you.”

“I’ve no idea,” says Merlin, scrawny and awkward and currently looking extremely panicked.

“Hi,” says Merlin. Baby Merlin, as Merlin decides to call him, is trying to say something with his wide doe eyes, but Merlin can’t really be bothered trying to understand it. His side really hurts. “If you don’t mind, who’s the king at the moment?”

“Uther,” says Arthur. “Everyone knows that. Who _are_ you, exactly?”

“I’m Merlin.”

“Fucking hell,” says Baby Merlin.

Agreed. Merlin tries to sit up and is, once more, _very_ aware of the stab wound, which is somehow not his biggest problem at the moment. “Ah,” he says, when he puts his hand up to it and gets covered in blood, “Is Gaius around these days?”

“Yes.” Arthur frowns. “You know him?”

Baby Merlin moves across the room to lean his forehead against a wardrobe.

“I mean, he’s pretty much my dad at this point. Was. Will be. Whatever.” Merlin shifts over and sits up, wincing in pain and blinking to try and ward off the tilting of the world. The stab wound, which is _still there,_ sends shooting pain through his torso. “Hey, child,” he says, addressing Baby Merlin, “Try to avoid being stabbed in the future. It sucks ass.”

Baby Merlin looks up from his exasperated wallowing. “I know. I’ll try my best.”

“I-” Arthur seems rather lost for words. “What? Merlin, do you get stabbed often?“

“No,” says Baby Merlin. 

“Yes,” says Merlin. “It happens,” he adds, waving his hands around a bit.

“So, there’s… Merlin. Merlin. Two Merlins.”

“Yes,” both Merlins agree at once.

Arthur rubs his face, again. He looks tired, which is perfectly valid, but Merlin’s been stabbed, damnnit, and his problems are much bigger than Arthur’s.

“Stop that, I’m bleeding,” says Merlin.

Arthur gives him yet another exasperated and confused look. “I can't even begin to try and understand what the fuck’s going on in your mind.”

“Excuse me,” Baby Merlin sniffs, “I’m a tactical genius.”

“You told me we should try and befriend the wild boars when they attacked out camp last month.”

“I had a fever! I was dying, and you were more worried about some fucking wild pigs than me.”

Merlin raises his hand. “Hi, yes, me, I’m the one who's dying, currently, and you’re both ignoring me. Dying. Here, on your floor. Merlin, you have to clean the mess up if I bleed out. God, I hate time magic.”

Arthur straightens up. “Sorcery?”

“Calm down, it’s legal in the future.”

Baby Merlin drops the water pitcher he had just picked up from the table. Arthur glares at him before turning back to Merlin. “Excuse me?”

“You're the one to legalize it,” Merlin says gleefully, watching as Arthur opens and closes his mouth like a dying fish. “Wait a few years,” he says to Baby Merlin, who nods quickly and continues to try and mop up the water with his kerchief.

Arthur looks between them for a moment, confusion evident on his face, and says, “Let’s get you to Gaius.”

Merlin decides this is a good opportunity to pass out.

“He’ll be fine,” Arthur says. “Help me carry him.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! gimme a heads up if u see any typos and lemme know ur thoughts in the comments :)


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